Moving to the USA, where is the place to be?

[viggen]

The last 12 years my main in come is in US dollar but my expenses are in Euro, which makes me seriously consider moving to the USA. Now there are two things to consider,

web-business friendly
quality of life

west coast no thanks too scared of earth quakes
south no thanks to tornados, hurricans and crazy christians
northern parts, got damm blizzards

so in my naive way of cheching those places i settled to

Virginia
West Virginia
Maryland
North Carolina
Kentucky
Tennesse

which one would you pick, or is there a state i missed?

[incrediBILL]

Silly, earthquakes are all over, some of the worst have been outside the west coast. I've been in the worst in SF back in '89 and it only cracked my chimney, big whoop. I lived in the midwest 28 years, hundreds of tornadoes, idiots that die in tornadoes don't have basements or storm cellars, it's stupid is as stupid does makes stupid die.

Florida is nice and to avoid the hurricane damage you only need to live inland a few miles to where it's not such a big deal. I've seen the hurricane damage inland after the fact, the news makes it sound much worse than it it. Florida is a big place, it hits the very coast the worst, don't live on the coast, how easy is that?

Weather wise you really can't beat California, but you probably can't afford to buy here unless you have $500k income

[edited by: incrediBILL at 5:17 am (utc) on May 23, 2011]

[Montresor]

Rarely ever does anyone ever die of an earthquake in the west coast, ever. Summer fires, yes people lose their homes. But earthquakes are not a concern.

Most of the places you listed are fairly conservative, christian and not really destinations. Those are places people fly over on their way to other places. Some of those places have a history of racism and intolerance that still exists in whispers and opinions expressed in confidence. Virginia is where the CIA is headquartered and where Wash DC zombies live. Most cities in those states are malls, long drive, malls, long drive, mall, long drive and surprise another mall. Nobody dreams of living in any of those places the way people dream of living in Seattle, Venice Beach, Austin, Santa Fe, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Boston, Portland, Seattle or Denver. All of those cities I just listed are web worker friendly with a legion of tech workers and Internet entrepreneurs.

What does quality of life mean to you? Most of the places you list would not make my shortlist for quality of life because I like high quality food, restaurants and entertainment, as well as nature. If by quality of life you mean an inexpensive house that looks like the thousand other houses around you, Internet connection and a twenty minute drive to the mall, then pretty much any of those cities will do.

[Jane_Doe]

If you are from Europe then culturally you'd probably be happier in a culturally diverse metro area in a more liberal "blue" state. Or at least a college town.

Have you been to the U.S. before? If not it might be good to travel around a bit before you settle down in any one place.

Housing in Florida is pretty cheap right now. If you don't need a local job it would be one of my top picks.

[edited by: Jane_Doe at 5:21 am (utc) on May 23, 2011]

[incrediBILL]

Some of those places have a history of racism and intolerance that still exists in whispers and opinions expressed in confidence.

That exists just about everywhere, but much less in Cali. we're the melting pot of the planet with NY and Vegas running a close 2nd.

Sorry, I grew up in the midwest, a lot of nice people and more tolerant of others than you can imagine but ignorance shows up when you least expect it so stay out of ignorant looking places like neighborhood redneck bars and it should be safe.

[skibum]

Gotta define "quality of life". Is it cool sights, great music scene, outdoor sights, hiking, biking, skiing, water sports, upscale shopping malls, less traffic and congestion, living at the top of some skyscraper with awesome views, living near the mountains, the beach, a big lake, in the middle of nowhere?

This past winter you could probably find a blizzard in any one of those states especially Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

[lucy24]

What Americans expect Europeans to like, and what Europeans do like, can be two entirely different things. (What do you bet your average Brit simply hates Boston? ::snrk:: )

I once read a similar message-board query from an English couple who were thinking of retiring to the US. They had a preferred climate and a preferred culture and/or cost of living, which of course were mutually exclusive (coast vs. midwest, basically). In the end they decided on...

... I'm going to tell you, because you would never in a trillion years guess ...

Duluth, Minnesota.

[incrediBILL]

FYI, when you see a tornado coming, get in the car and just drive the other way, they tend to always go a certain direction so you can simply get out of the way. People that see them 'em a mile away and run inside and hunker down for certain destruction are idiots.

[koan]

What do you bet your average Brit simply hates Boston?

They sure can hold a grudge ;)

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

What Americans expect Europeans to like, and what Europeans do like, can be two entirely different things.

I totally agree.

From my limited experience of America Boston as a city is closer to UK style cities than most places. It can however have long hard winters. If I were moving to the USA I would be looking at some of the places the OP suggested.

I did a tour of Virgina, NC, SC and Georgia a few years ago and I loved that area. I would probably be looking at somewhere there. Sure they can have some poor weather at times but this is generally only for short periods.

I was out for dinner with an ex-pat yesterday. He was back home in Scotland on holiday. He lives in Ohio and they have had six months of snow this winter. That is definitely not for me.

Brrrrrr!

[henry0]

I was born in FR, moved in the States, became a citizen,
been in the US for 26 years.
Done a few years of Florida, same with upstate NY
Presently spent 5 years in CT, very nice, seashore, a little bit NW looks like Brittany.
Major drawback, is one of the most expensive state to leave in.
New Haven, Yale country is a very dynamic city.
NY by train or car is quite close by.
If you consider it, email me, mention what you are looking for, I could provide you with more details.
Good luck.
<edit> Hope you have considered how to deal with emigration</edit>

[weeks]

I used to deal with people from Europe coming to the US on biz often. One point I learned to make with them from the get-go is the US is BIG. Really, really big. And they still could not get their head around how big it is.

The two states on viggen's list that could be considered the most "web friendly" would be Maryland and Virginia. North Carolina has some deep pockets of high-tech, too, however.

If you're looking for an urban experience, Maryland. Virginia has it as well, but it's easier to find countryside living as well.

If you are interested in meeting women, the Washington DC area has more women than men. It's a young, aggressive crowd. Charlottesville Virginia is a very cosmo area as well, but (of course) it can be pricey. Family in tow? Richmond area is a serious consideration.

[bw100]

If you're looking for an urban experience, Maryland.

True in some parts of the state. Recommend that you stay closer to DC: Montgomery County would be worth looking into; do not think about Baltimore, or the areas near the eastern and southern part of DC.
The eastern shore of Maryland offers a totally different living experience: more rural, but many areas are within an easy commuting distance of DC.

[tangor]

I'd be more inclined to look at right-to-work states, states with no income tax, low cost of living... One can make more money, keep more of it, and have those investments pay off. As in most (any?) country in the world there are places of beauty and horror, pleasant or unpleasant weather... but if the local government, state, or national gets in the way...

[Fribble]

I've lived in Maine, Maryland, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, and New York. I've spent 1+ month visiting Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, California, and Arizona. Each has good and bad points. I had been moving around trying to find the 'perfect' place. I've come to the conclusion that there is no 'perfect' place, but am seriously considering purchasing a home in the DFW area of Texas and traveling internationally a lot. Maui was my favorite place, but it's very expensive. If I were pulling in seven figures a year I would buy a place there and travel. California is a love-it-or-hate-it kinda place, but for nearly the same money, you could live in Hawaii.

My advice as a person who has traveled the US a LOT, is if you are serious about moving here, to sell off all of your stuff (or put it into storage in preparation for shipping) and just spend some time travelling around checking these places out. Meet the people, drive on the roads, and do the things you would do if you lived there. Don't make a decision like this without first visiting a place. Sites like CityData are useful, but fail to truly represent a place. Take your time and make the process fun!

[viggen]

thanks for the many replies, i have been to the US i stayed for six months in Allentown (for work) many years ago, and yeah i am aware the US is huge, which makes me hope to avoid most of the inhabitans so small town with good infrastructre would be nice, more important the web friendliness, (amazon tax states etc..)

The euro/dollar exchange rate is not yet at a point where i have to move right away but it could happen sooner than later...

[rocknbil]

They don't call San Diego America's Finest City without reason. People say it's more expensive here, but it seems about average unless you absolutely must live where the Cool Kids live, play where the Cool Kids play. :-)

[incrediBILL]

California is a love-it-or-hate-it kinda place, but for nearly the same money, you could live in Hawaii.

Hawaii is a nice place to visit but California is a lot less likely to get seriously slammed with tsunamis nor likely place to wake up with lava flowing under the bed.

I would also steer clear of DC and NYC just because they are high value terrorist targets, why put yourself in a place people are constantly trying to blow up? No thanks.

Finally, Lexington KY, big fat NO because it's streets are a bunch of concentric circles making it the only city I know that looks like a bullseye on a map AKA drop the bomb HERE!

[bhartzer]

I would stay far away from California for two reasons: prices are too high and earthquakes.

Move to Texas. Texas is one place where we really have not been hit hard by the economy. Jobs are plentiful, prices are reasonable.

[Fribble]

Hawaii is a nice place to visit but California is a lot less likely to get seriously slammed with tsunamis nor likely place to wake up with lava flowing under the bed.

I think they're about equal in the "natural-disaster-scariness" factor. CA has earthquakes, smog, fires, mudslides, and the occasional little tsunami, and HI has vog, earthquakes, and the occasional big tsunami. Hurricanes are rare. Lava's only an issue if you choose the big island - but all of the islands are, after all, volcanos, so you never know. :)

Hawaii is also much more isolated. Not as many web professionals unless you live on Oahu which is so crowded you might as well just live in CA. Medical care and the public school systems are also below average there.

Honestly, I would like California a whole lot more if they would get their act together with the high taxes and broke state government. But it's still a very cool place on my list.

viggen, there are a lot of areas in the US that offer that 'small town feel' but are close enough to large metropolitan areas to take advantage of them. In Texas I would recommend the outskirts of the Dallas/Ft Worth area. A lot of people recommend Austin for technofolks like us, but personally, I couldn't stand the place. San Antonio is a little smaller, but also a little more slummy and the local economy is driven largely by the active duty military stationed at the myriad bases in the area. Never been to Houston so I can't comment on that.

[incrediBILL]

CA has earthquakes, smog, fires, mudslides, and the occasional little tsunami

FYI, the seasons here in California are like no other, we have SUN, WILDFIRE, RAIN and MUDSLIDE. You don't really have smog unless you live in So. Cali.

Prices aren't as bad as they sound, I came from KC and live better in the SF Bay area paying a little more for housing but ZERO for heating and A/C which ran many hundreds a month in KC, it's a trade-off. Besides, outside the big cities you can easily pick up a nice place for a decent price in the current housing market and it's a good investment.

Plus, when it comes to cheap food, you can't beat the local Chinese market. You can carry out bags of fresh produce and meat or fish for almost half of what the big chains charge.

[lucy24]

I would stay far away from California for two reasons: prices are too high and earthquakes.

Heh. Even within the US, people lose their grip on the idea of physical size. By the time you get to where I live, the fault lines have drifted far offshore. In 12 years we've only had one quake that even woke up the cats. Geologically we're in Cascadia, with Oregon, Washington and western Canada.

Hey, what about Seattle? If you're from northern Europe, the climate should be tolerable. And you'd be within spitting distance of the hub of the Evil Empire ::snicker::

[wheel]

Not sure why local economy would factor into it, not if you're in the web (i.e national or international) business.

I can run my business anywhere there's a 5mbit or higher internet connection and make the same money as I would in downtown-wherever. I could move to the mountains and still earn a living (and very well may, as soon as I convince my wife she rather live there than someplace civilized).

[LifeinAsia]

Not sure why local economy would factor into it, not if you're in the web (i.e national or international) business.

Wherever you are, you're part of the local economy. You may make the same amount of money anywhere, but how much you have to spend is a different matter. Having to pay $5/gal of gas compared to $3.50/gal, or $1/lb of bananas vs. $3/lb can be a big influence. Similarly, having to pay $2,000/month for a 1-bedroom apartment vs. $850/month to rent a 2-bedroom house. Some people may not mind having to drive 1 hour to get to a town of any size to go to a movie theater or nice restaurant. Others may care a lot.

[wheel]

Sure. I guess I meant it doesn't matter if you're working in Detroit even if no one's making cars. Cost of living is a factor, but whether your neighbors are working may not matter much.

[incrediBILL]

Geologically we're in Cascadia, with Oregon, Washington and western Canada.

You're not safe, there's that big Cascadia subduction zone [en.wikipedia.org] off the coast that when it blows will probably take out Seattle, if not with the shock but the tsunami, and you're right in the strike zone.

Cost of living is a factor, but whether your neighbors are working may not matter much.

Bad idea for places like Detroit unless you want to just sit around all day with a shotgun protecting your stuff. It's worse than Columbus, OH where my kid lives and they chained their lawnmower to a post in a fenced in backyard (tall privacy fence) yet someone came in the yard and took the time to disassemble the lawnmower handle in order to steal it - nothing wrong with neighbors out of work.

[wheel]

Yeah, lots of criminals. But California's full of left wingers. Given the choice, I'll take my chances with the criminals :).

[mattglet]

It's an easy choice: the suburbs of Boston.

We get about 3 feet total of snow per year (and it's mostly all at once, followed by some rain to take it away). Snow season is December-March, and it only hits temperatures of 100F 2 to 3 days per year in July (you will find it's a LOT more in the mid-atlantic states). Beautiful history, wonderful food, some of the best universities in the world (MIT, Harvard, etc.) which draw a lot of technology.

You don't need to live right in the city either... the public transportation is fantastic within 20 miles of downtown.

[Rugles]

As a Canadian who has traveled all over the USA (and I only live a stones throw from the border, so I am over there frequently) there are only a handful of places in the States I would consider moving to.

Portland Oregon, Northern California or Austin Texas.

Portland being my first choice. Good tech town, not super expensive, friendly open-minded people and nearby natural beauty.

[koan]

Is it really that hard to find a decent place in the States? I don't think I would have that much trouble recommending most places in Canada (Well maybe not Alberta if the OP dislikes right wing christians). It's our weather that sucks though. Oh, and taxes can be high.